SARASOTA, Fla. - PRNewswire-FirstCall - May 19
SARASOTA, Fla., May 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- DNAPrint genomics, Inc. (OTC
NAP) (BULLETIN BOARD: DNAP) today announced that it will commence a study of the Company`s OVANOME(TM) predictive assay using ovarian cancer patient samples to be procured by the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center-affiliated Bay Area Oncology of Tampa, Fla. Central to the study, which will begin immediately, are DNA samples that will be taken from patients receiving treatment with first-regimen (line) Taxol-Carboplatin (TC) chemotherapy. TC is the current first-line chemotherapy for ovarian cancer, yet it elicits only a 70% positive response rate.
"TC chemotherapy treatment can be a challenging ordeal mentally and physically for cancer victims," stated Hector J. Gomez, M.D., Ph.D., DNAPrint`s Chief Medical Officer. "This study could lead to the development of a diagnostic test for predicting TC response, enabling physicians to identify patients most likely to respond to TC therapy prior to treatment. It could also spare non-responding patients from going through a treatment program that would not be effective in the first place." Some of the side effects of TC treatment can be low white blood counts, low platelet count, anemia, hair loss, nausea, diarrhea and nerve damage.
Rafael Blanco, M.D., the principal investigator at Bay Area Oncology, which specializes in hematology and cancer treatment services, supported a similar theme. "Patients who do not respond to first-line treatment for ovarian cancer exhibit higher mortality than those who do," he stated. "Methods that allow the inference of a patient`s reaction to treatment could enable those genetically predisposed for non-response to avoid a failed TC first-line and be treated immediately with an alternative therapy."
DNAPrint`s research indicates that variability in TC response is largely due to the narrow therapeutic index of the drug combination combined with wide genetic unpredictability in the Cytochrome P450 2C8 gene, which is responsible for metabolizing (and disposing of) taxol from the human body.
"BioGeographical Ancestry admixture is also relevant for predicting response, over and above CYP2C8 multilocus genotypes," said Tony Frudakis, Ph.D., DNAPrint`s Chief Scientific Officer. "We believe that complex, multifactorial genetic classification of response proclivities is the paradigm for drug development of the future," he stated. "We intend to apply our state- of-the-art genomics program to not only the development of our own nascent drug pipeline but to ameliorate deficiencies associated with certain drugs manufactured by other companies as well."
In March 2004, DNAPrint entered into a collaboration agreement with the Moffitt Cancer Center to develop and implement new clinical tests for predicting patient response to various cancer chemotherapies. The initial focus of their work is on colon cancer.
About DNAPrint genomics, Inc.
DNAPrint genomics, Inc. uses proprietary human genome research